SECURITY
Taliban Besiege Samangan’s Doab District amid Clashes
Samangan: Dozens of armed militants have besieged the headquarters of Doab district in northern Samangan province amid an ongoing clash that entered a second day. Causalities of any type from both sides have not yet reported. Pajhwok
A Dozen Insurgents Eliminated, Three Wounded: MoD
A dozen militants were killed and two others wounded in security incidents in different parts of the country. They were killed during the military operation. Pajhwok
Senior Academic Shot Dead by Motorcyclists in Kabul
Kabul: A senior member of Afghanistan Academy of Sciences was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Kabul. No group has yet claimed the responsibility. Pajhwok
Afghan, Pakistani Forces Trade Fire in Paktika
Paktika: Afghan and Pakistani border security personnel have clashed in the Barmal district of southeastern Paktika province. Report of any type of causalities from both sides has not yet made. Pajhwok
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Security in Afghanistan likely to ‘Deteriorate’: U.S Intel Chief
Daniel Coats, the United States Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats offered a pessimistic assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan, where the U.S government was planning to send more troops to combat resurgent militants. He said that the political and security situation in Afghanistan would certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in the military assistance by the US and its partners. Tolonews
Pak-Based Terrorists ‘Planning to Attack’ Afghanistan, India
A top U.S spymaster, Daniael Coat, has said that Pakistan-based terrorist groups were “Planning to Attack” both India and Afghanistan. These groups would present a sustained threat to the United States’ interest in the region. He said that Islamabad had failed to curb militants and terrorists in Pakistan. Tolonews
NATO Chief, Merkel Discuss Summit on Afghanistan
NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, have exchanged views on an upcoming summit of the alliance on Afghanistan. The two leaders discussed preparations for the NATO summit in Brussels on May 25. Pajhwok
Pakistan Backs Political Settlement of Afghan Issue
Pakistan has reiterated its commitment to supporting efforts for a political settlement of the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Aizaz Chaudhry, told a six-member team of American journalists that Pakistan was committed to facilitate and support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. Pajhwok
Australia may Dispatch more Troops to Afghanistan
The Australian government is weighing America’s request for deploying more troops to Afghanistan. Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said that we had been asked to consider additional troops to Afghanistan in order to build peace and stability. Pajhwok
Spin Boldak Border to Stay Shut until Tiff Resolved
Kandahar police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, said that the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing would remain closed until a dispute over the status of a village on the Durand Line was resolved. Pak-Afghan relations remained hostile due to the issue of Durand Line from the very beginning. Pajhwok
Af-Pak Military Officials Discuss Chaman Incident
Senior officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on improving military-to-military coordination and cooperation. According to them military-to-military coordination would help to prevent the escalation of conflict at the border in future. Pajhwok
